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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28236660">PSYCHIC DRAIN.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/huniepeach/pseuds/huniepeach'>huniepeach</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Willoughbys (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Anarchist! Barnaby A., Brother/Sister Incest, Child Abuse, Child Pregnancy, Childbirth, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, Incest, Jane Willoughby is a good mom, Mild Gore, Multi, Pacifist! Barnaby B., Sibling Incest, The parents are accidentally killed, Tim Willoughby is a deadbeat dad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:06:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,289</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28236660</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/huniepeach/pseuds/huniepeach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barnaby B Willoughby/Original Female Character(s), Jane Willoughby/Tim Willoughby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I AM A DAGGER.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>𝙾𝚗𝚎 :</p><p>𝙸 𝙰𝙼 𝙰 𝙳𝙰𝙶𝙶𝙴𝚁</p><p><strong><em>MONTHS</em></strong>.</p><p>It had been months since Jane had felt this way, she didn't know why she did, but she was sick, and she gained weight even though it was a rare occasion that she ate. It wasn't a lot; it was enough to make her look like she wasn't starving.</p><p>She was.</p><p>Jane was starving and she hurt. The last time she had truly felt happy was when she and Tim stole whatever Mother and Father were drinking ( it was disgusting, and Jane never drank whatever it was ever again ) without them looking. She didn't remember that night all too well, but she knew they had kissed, and they kissed a lot. She couldn't remember what they said, but she did remember that it felt good, and she was happy.</p><p>He hadn't given her attention like that since then.</p><p>He didn't give her much attention at all since then.</p><p>She paced around the library as the Barnabys worked on their little dirigible contraption.</p><p>"Nice job, Barnaby," the first one said.</p><p>"You too, Barnaby," the second one said.</p><p>"Bye, bye dirigible," both chorused.</p><p>She was exhausted and felt the overwhelming need to lay down. She laid down behind a pile of books as she held her stomach, which had hurt since yesterday morning, and it gradually seemed to be getting worse as the hours past. Jane hummed lowly to herself as she nestled her head into her elbow. She tried to stay awake, which the consistant throbbing pain did a good job of doing.</p><p>One of the Barnabys peeked his head over the pile of books at his sister that writhed in pain.</p><p>"Are you okay, Jane?" he asked.</p><p>"Cold . . ." she sighed.</p><p>He took off the pink sweater that he normally would trade with his twin, before he laid it on Jane. He looked to his twin with the normal blank stare that was upon both of their faces.</p><p>"She's cold," he said to the other.</p><p>"Tim could get her a blanket," the other replied.</p><p>"Yes," the first said. "Tim could get her a blanket."</p><p>Both twins exited the library, in order to look for the oldest of the four, as Jane opened a book that she leaned against. She looked across the page and saw pictures of animals and babies in jars. She adjusted her glasses as she read over the pages about medical anomalies. She'd pause every once in awhile to grip her stomach and bite her lips to stifle the screams she so desperately wanted to let out. Her stomach felt as if it were trying to burst from her skeleton.</p><p>The twins both walked down the steps to see that Tim stood at the entryway to the living room, where their parents spent their time snogging, making model ships, or knitting with that dreadful yarn Mother would make from Father's hair. Their older brother only peeked from the side of the doorway as he watched their parents.</p><p>The first twin was brave enough to walk down the steps, while the other one retreated back to the library, to check on Jane, in hopes she didn't vomit on any of the books again.</p><p>"Tim," the first twin said.</p><p>The oldest looked down to him and pushed him away from the doorway, before he backed away himself.</p><p>"What ?" he asked. "You know they'll throw me into the coal bin if they catch any of you running around the house, making any sort of noise."</p><p>"Jane's cold, and sick," the twin claimed. "She needs a blanket."</p><p>"I don't know where any blankets are!" Tim exclaimed, as loud as he dared. "She'll have to stay cold."</p><p>The second twin looked over the little nest of books to see Jane. She shivered as she read the medical book and held her stomach. She read one page though she didn't quite know what it was about, where it showed an image of a very large woman being cut open up along her stomach, with people in coats that had sharp medical supplies, water, and needles on standby. The woman had a strip of leather in her mouth as she bit down on it in pain. Jane didn't bother to read what it said, once she recognized the phrase 'stomach pain'. She had a feeling she would need to do what was going on in the picture, to see what caused her such pain. It had been going on for far too long just to be starvation or illness – there had to be something there, like a tumor. Her stomach was hard, and solid, not squishy like it should've been.</p><p>"Barnaby went to get you a blanket," the second twin announced.</p><p>"I . . . I need water, and something to bite on . . ." Jane said. "Something sharp."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I need to see what's wrong with me," Jane groaned. "It hurts – hurry."</p><p>The twin did as he was told, as he went and emptied the box that he and his twin kept their tools in, before he blew the dust out of it and took the box the bathroom. He set the box into the sink, where he turned on the water so the box could fill with water. He made sure to keep the water quiet, so no pipes hissed and bothered their parents.</p><p>In the library, Jane stuffed the sleeve of her dress into her mouth, as to muffle the cries and whimpers that escaped her. She was dizzy, and her body ached. Her legs quivered and trembled at the amount of pain her lower body had experienced. She hit herself in the head with the book, so she could keep herself awake somehow. She needed to be awake.</p><p>The first twin managed to get Tim back upstairs as they looked around the house for towels, or blankets, something to cover her with, so she would stop complaining about her childish needs. Last time Tim made noise to try and get her a blanket, he was thrown in the coal bin for what seemed like weeks before the Barnabys managed to get him out.</p><p>"She's sick, Tim," the first twin mentioned.</p><p>"It's not like there's anything I can do," Tim claimed. "I already got in trouble once this week for the stuff you all did. I'm not trying to get in trouble again."</p><p>The second twin took the washcloth from the shower before he dipped it into the water for it to soak. He brought it back to the library, to see that his sister was then in a puddle of liquids he couldn't describe – one of which they could both identify as blood.</p><p>"Jane, you're -"</p><p>"I know – I – It hurts – wh – where's th – the thing?"</p><p>"What thing?"</p><p>"I need something to cut me open with," she managed. "Unf . . ."</p><p>Jane put her fingers into a hole that Mother never bothered to sew back together, before she ripped her sleeve from her dress and balled it into her mouth to bite on.</p><p>The twin looked around the library, before he came across a knife in a shadow – box. He pulled it off the shelf and broke the box open, before he took the knife to Jane. He didn't want to go back into the kitchen, because he knew he would be thrown into the coal bin – he couldn't bear the thought of being alone in a dark room without his twin.</p><p>"Should you really - ?" he started.</p><p>Whatever Jane responded with was garbled and muffled, since the fabric wad was in her mouth. She pointed the blade at her stomach and dug it into her skin, before she shrieked at the pain that shot through her body. Goosebumps traveled up her skin and her body quaked in pain that she had never experienced before. She looked down to see that blood had leaked from her stomach, where she had cut herself open. She trembled and reached a hand out to the twin.</p><p>The second twin shrunk back and shook his head. His sister was bleeding on the floor and he didn't know what to do. Nobody knew what was wrong with her, and it wasn't like they could go to a doctor. The second twin was definitely not a doctor, and he didn't know if these moments would be Jane's last moments.</p><p>There was a lot of blood.</p><p>"Barnaby . . ." she groaned.</p><p>"J - Jane -"</p><p>She shook her head before she stuffed the fabric back into her mouth, she had to keep going, or else whatever was inside of her would be stuck forever. It needed to get ut, and then they could examine whatever it was. Jane continued to drag the blade along her stomach, and more blood squirt from her body. She cringed at the feeling of hot, burning agony that radiated from her body. She gagged on the fabric, before she coughed it out of her mouth. Her breaths were hitched as she cut open her stomach, and she clenched her eyes shut before she gasped in shock as she felt a burst in the side of her head.</p><p>She looked towards the twin, and blinked as she felt herself cry, even though she was well aware that she wasn't crying. Was it sweat?</p><p>"J - Jane, there's blood -" the twin stammered.</p><p>She touched her eye before she realized he was right.</p><p>That was blood.</p><p>Her vision was blurrier than it normally was in that eye. That wasn't . . . normal . . . but what was in this situation. She removed the knife from her stomach before she realized that there was something that attempted to break through. With tremored hands, she picked up the knife, saturated with blood, and punctured a hole into where something was moving. She took the blade back out to see that there was a tiny hand that held onto the blade once she retracted the blade.</p><p>The second twin jumped and fell onto the ground at the sight of a little hand on the blade – a hand that came out of his sister. What was that?</p><p>Jane opened the hole more to see that there was a baby inside of her. She needed to get the baby out, immediately. She dove her hands into herself, before she grabbed the baby by the arms and sat them up, before she pulled them from inside of herself.</p><p>The second twin covered his mouth with shaking hands, because he had just witnessed his sister pull a baby from inside herself, and nobody even knew that there was one there. He wanted to vomit, scream, cry, but he was in such a state of shock he could barely even move.</p><p>Jane put the baby against her chest, before she pat their back and liquids came from the baby's face, before the baby's face scrunched and the baby screamed. Jane looked down at her soiled dress, but it didn't matter. She was woozy from the blood she had lost, and she knew she needed to comfort and care for this baby. She was more scared of what Mother and Father would say since this baby was simply another mouth to feed. She didn't question how the baby got there, but her state of mind wasn't all that clear.</p><p>The door to the library opened and the first twin and Tim came inside with piles of towels and blankets.</p><p>Tim dropped the pile he carried at the sound of a baby. Did Mother - ? No, it couldn't be. The noise was too clear in the room. The baby was in the library.</p><p>He picked up a towel before he smelled the scent of blood, which the first twin confirmed by scrunching his nose at the smell.</p><p>"What is that?" the first twin asked.</p><p>"Tim!" The second twin shrieked from behind the book pile. "Tim, help us!"</p><p>Tim went to look behind the book pile and gagged at the smell that came from Jane before he noticed that she had something against her chest. He fell over at the sight of her stomach being cut open, and blood being everywhere. It had to have gotten on at the very least ten books of Willoughby documentation and history.</p><p>"Tim, she had a baby," the second twin said. "She's cut open and we have to -"</p><p>"Sshh . . ." Jane hushed. "Don't panic, or else they're going to cry again."</p><p>Tim then noticed that the thing in Jane's arms was indeed a baby, and a million thoughts flooded his mind, but he could only vocalize one.</p><p>"Where did that come from?" he asked.</p><p>"Inside her!" The second twin cried.</p><p>"You had a baby inside of you?" The first twin asked.</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>Tim covered his mouth and turned away, he blinked and tears fell from his face. That wasn't possible! She couldn't have had a baby, she never . . . she couldn't have. Not from just that. He couldn't help but to cry to himself as he covered his mouth and repeated 'No, no, no . . .' under his breath.</p><p>"I'm bleeding . . ." Jane whispered.</p><p>"Is that bad ?" the first twin asked.</p><p>"Yes, that's bad!" the second one exclaimed. "We need to get her to stop bleeding, or else she might get stuck in the coal bin with the baby!"</p><p>"Stop bleeding!" the first twin exclaimed at her stomach.</p><p>"We need to close her up!" the second twin shouted. "We need mother's sewing kit!"</p><p>"They're still awake," the first twin said. "Tim, can you get the sewing kit?"</p><p>The first twin looked over the book pile before he nudged the oldest. He noticed that his older brother was crying, and he nudged him again.</p><p>"Tim, can you go and get Mother's sewing kit?" the first twin asked. "Please, we don't want to go to the coal bin. You know Mother and Father would -"</p><p>Tim got up and dried his face, before he went back downstairs with his helmet in his hands. Both twins followed behind him, because even if he wasn't able to ween it from their parents, that didn't mean they were unable to steal it while Mother and Father weren't looking.</p><p>Tim opened the door to the living room and took a deep breath in.</p><p>"Mother, may we borrow your sewing kit?" he asked.</p><p>"Always wanting things," Mother sighed. "He's always doing this."</p><p>"First it was food, now Mother's sewing kit?" Father asked. "He really does, doesn't he? I should've put him back into the coal bin once I saw him."</p><p>He looked behind his mother, to see that the twins had already taken things into their own hands, as they carefully moved Mother's yarn basket from atop the sewing kit.</p><p>"Barnabys -" Tim whispered.</p><p>The first twin shushed Tim, as they continued to take the sewing kit away from the counter.</p><p>"Barnabys?" Mother asked. "Who must you think you're talking to?"</p><p>Both parents gasped as one of the Barnabys dropped the small sewing basket. The other one quickly picked the thread spools that fell from the basket before they both rushed into the kitchen.</p><p>"He brought the small ones again!" Father exclaimed.</p><p>"Where did they go?" Mother asked. "Find them!"</p><p>Father got up from his seat, and Tim scrambled back up the stairs behind the twins, before they barricaded themselves into the library. Tim slammed the library door shut, before he locked the top lock to the door and used a stool from the library to jam the door and have more time to control the situation.</p><p>"Barnabys!" Tim shouted up the staircase.</p><p>There was no response, and he plugged his ears at the sound of their father pounding at the door, and demanding that he open it before he had to open it himself. That meant one of the kids would be thrown into the coal bin for a very long time ( or at least until the others could get them out, but even an hour down there was enough to mess with someone's head. ).</p><p>Both the twins were by Jane, as they took the weird cord that attached the baby to Jane, before they managed to pull out the giant, squishy end to the cord. They set it onto the floor and prodded it with their bare fingers.</p><p>"We don't need this, right?" the first twin asked.</p><p>The second twin simply shuttered at the sight of it.</p><p>"Other babies don't have it," Jane whispered. "Take it off."</p><p>The first twin used the blade to cut off the cord from the belly button of the baby, before they pushed whatever the squishy thing was off to the side.</p><p>Jane simply shushed and rocked the baby as they started to wipe away blood and sew Jane's open wound back up with the water and sewing kit.</p><p>Tim looked over the book piles and still couldn't bear to look his sister in the face, not after they – she made a baby. They had to get rid of that thing immediately, or else someone would be thrown into the coal bin, because while Tim was upset with Jane – he didn't want her to go down there. He still cared to a certain extent. He wasn't a complete monster.</p><p>"I love her . . ." Jane sighed. "I think I'm going to name her . . ."</p><p>"Jane!" Tim exclaimed. "You know our parents hate children! You can't get attached to this baby!"</p><p>She pouted and held the baby close to herself.</p><p>"Why not?" she asked.</p><p>"What if they try to get rid of her?" Tim asked. "Th - Then you're going to live with knowing that you weren't a good enough mother and that you failed your baby. Babies are the most childish children of them all!"</p><p>Jane made circles in the baby's wet mess of pinkish red hair and played with the little cowlick she had in the back of her hair. She ignored Tim's statement and continued to admire the little thing she had in her arms, and thought about how cute she was. This little thing in her arms was hers to take care of. She simply planted a kiss on the baby's forehead. She lifted the baby and looked to see that this baby was indeed a girl. Jane then took one of the towels and wrapped her in the towel to keep her warm.</p><p>"I like Arpeggio," she announced. "Arpeggio Lavender Noxema Willoughby."</p><p>"You have to hide her, now -" Tim insisted.</p><p>The door was broken open and he heard the angry footsteps of both of their parents as they came up the stairs.</p><p>Tim immediately hid the front of the stack of books, as Jane adjusted the towel that held the baby, so she could attempt to hide the baby in her arms from her parents. One of the Barnabys put the sweater back on, and the other one hid behind the first.</p><p>"You let the small ones run off with Mother's sewing kit, and then you lock us out of our own library?" Father asked. "I should send you straight to the coal bin for this -"</p><p>Both parents soon made it to the pile of books, before they looked down to see that Jane had the towel in her arms.</p><p>"It looks like the girl is harboring another raccoon again," Mother said. "This is dreadful. I'm starting to feel faint, Oh Father, dear!"</p><p>"Oh Mother, sweet, don't worry, I'll handle it," Father reassured. "Give me that."</p><p>He snatched the towel from Jane before the baby started to scream once again, after being forcefully ripped away from her mother.</p><p>"Hey!" Jane cried. "No, give me her back !"</p><p>Father then unwrapped the towel to expose the newborn before he gasped in disgust.</p><p>"A baby?" he asked.</p><p>"Oh, not again . . ." Mother groaned.</p><p>"Is this thing yours?" Father asked.</p><p>Jane had tears in her eyes, and she bit her lips before she nodded.</p><p>"Yes," Jane admitted. "Give her back!"</p><p>"Jane, don't -" Tim interrupted.</p><p>"She's going to the coal bin," the first twin whispered to the second.</p><p>"Yes," the second twin agreed. "She's going to the coal bin."</p><p>"Well, if this is yours, then both of you should be punished equally," Father said.</p><p>He grabbed Jane by her hair and yanked her from the ground, before he shoved the baby into her arms.</p><p>Jane could barely stand, but she held her baby close, and made sure she didn't drop her as their father began to drag her back down into the coal bin. She couldn't help but to cry as the pain she was in hurt – it felt like her insides had to move and her knees weren't nearly strong enough to hold her own weight, but she would do anything to protect the little baby in her arms, because this baby was hers.</p><p>Tim stood and watched until Father got to the door, then something triggered in him. He ran to the door and grabbed Father's wrist, while Mother shrieked behind him.</p><p>"Father - kins!"</p><p>Their father let go of Jane's hair, and she struggled out, before she backed away and sat back down, as she desperately attempted to calm her baby again.</p><p>"What do you think you're doing?"</p><p>"You leave her alone!" Tim shouted.</p><p>He then shoved his father down the stairs, before he watched his father tumble down the flight of stairs. Tim cringed at the sight of their father, as he hit the back of his head against a table in the hallway, and everyone heard a loud crack as he fell to the floor and blood began to pool from their father's head.</p><p>"Father!" their mother screamed.</p><p>She ran past the siblings, before she herself tripped down the steps and tumbled down. She did the exact same thing as her husband, and landed against the table with a loud crack, except for that she broke the table and a bunch of postcards and letters came flying from the drawer.</p><p>Tim walked downstairs, before her picked up a few of the many letters, envelopes, and postcards that were in the drawer. He looked down at his parents, but for some reason, he didn't connect in his mind that he did . . . that. He wanted to believe he didn't, he didn't hurt anyone on purpose, but he couldn't just let Father take Jane to the coal bin, along with a baby.</p><p>The baby would suffer in there, starve – speaking of starving, they needed to feed that baby.</p><p>Tim gathered the letters as he walked back down to the kitchen. Babies drank milk, right? Moms normally made milk, but he had a good feeling that Jane didn't, so milk it was. He opened the refrigerator, before he found the carton of milk in there. Tim shook it, but all he could hear was the gross splats of the milk against the cardboard walls. He didn't know the last time they had went out to buy groceries. It wasn't like Mother and Father left the house.</p><p>He went back upstairs and began to flip through the postcards and squinted at the writing. It was definitely a woman's, and the postcard was from Hawai'i.</p><p>"Merry Christmas Walter and Helga, I have sent you a little bit more cash to help out around the house. I hope you are well, and I would love to hear back from my dearest brother and sister – in – law. Mail me back, or you could always call at 808-567-9234. Hugs and kisses from your dear sister, Imogen Willoughby."</p><p>Imogen? He had never heard of that name before? He had never seen her in any sort of Willoughby books, because it all focused on their father . . . well, in one chapter of their Grandma Meredith's diary, she did mention having a daughter, but the daughter was shrouded by their father's shadow. It was obvious that Grandma Meredith had a favorite, but now her favorite son was dead, neck broken, on the floor.</p><p>So much for favorites.</p><p>He looked through the envelopes before he found about one hundred twenty dollars, and thirty six cents. It was enough to get them food for the night, and maybe call this number to talk to their unknown aunt Imogen.</p><p>Tim put the money in one of the envelopes and made it back up the stairs.</p><p>"We have to go," he said.</p><p>"Go where?" the first twin asked.</p><p>"Are Mommy and Daddy okay?" the second one asked. "Th - They fell down the stairs."</p><p>"What about Arpeggio?" Jane asked. "She doesn't have any clothes, she'll get cold out there, and I just got her to sleep again. She'll cry if she's cold."</p><p>"Well, she'll wake up again if we don't get her something to eat," Tim claimed. "Babies need milk, and we don't have any. We can't stay here."</p><p>"Why not?" The second twin asked. "Our beds are here."</p><p>"Don't ask questions, just come with me," Tim said.</p><p>He lead his brothers down the stairs, and covered their eyes as they stepped over their parents. He stood them out on the porch and shut the door behind himself, so the twins didn't look inside to see the corpses of their parents. He knew the young ones would be traumatized, because as he's observed, they still had some sort of attachment to their parents. They were both only eight, so it made sense that they didn't see how horrific their parents were, unlike Tim and Jane both saw.</p><p>Tim went back up the stairs and to the library, where Jane rested with the baby.</p><p>"Can you walk?" he asked.</p><p>She attempted to get up, but she couldn't. Jane shook her head.</p><p>Tim sighed before he went and picked her up, and carried her down the stairs. She held Arpeggio close to herself as she looked at the bodies of both of their parents. An uneasiness settled over her body as she looked at them and back at Tim. She knew they weren't turning back after that door shut, but maybe it was for the better. The question was, how were they going to live and survive on their own? Where were they going to go? Did they even have a plan?</p><p>Finally Tim shut the door of the house and Jane bounced the baby in her arms and hushed her.</p><p>"We need to find somewhere to eat," Tim claimed.</p><p>"What about Mommy and Daddy?" the second twin asked.</p><p>"They uhm . . . they can't come with us, they're uh . . ." Tim started.</p><p>"Sleeping," Jane excused. "Sleeping for a very long time."</p><p>"But, uhm, I found this postcard from an aunt of ours," Tim said. "Her name's Imogen and she lives in Hawai'i."</p><p>"That's far away," The first twin said.</p><p>"Really far," the other emphasized.</p><p>"We'll get there, don't worry," Tim soothed. "But first, food."</p><p>He led his siblings out the gate and shuttered at the feeling of cool air as it hit his legs. The realization set in that they were on their own now, and their parents were gone. He was in charge, and now they had a baby in tow. Tim was the most knowledgeable about babies, and knew that this one needed to eat something. They all did. It had been days since they had a meal. Their parents ate the leftovers, and the leftovers before that.</p><p>"Look at that!" The first twin exclaimed.</p><p>He pointed at a small little diner, where there was a girl that sat on the stoop of the diner steps.</p><p>Tim read the sign.</p><p>"Busy Bee's Kitchen".</p><p>That could've been promising.</p><p>They approached the diner, before the girl on the step flipped her hair out of her face.</p><p>"We're closed," she said. "You can't go in there."</p><p>The girl had to have been around the Barnabys age, but she had jet black hair, pale skin, and she had piercings in her nose and in three different places in her ears. She had on messy makeup, that had to have been applied by her fingers ( and she probably stole it from an older person ).</p><p>"Oh, uh . . . sorry," Tim said. "We were just looking for some food for the baby."</p><p>Jane unfolded the towel to show the young girl the baby.</p><p>The girl furrowed her eyebrows before she got off the steps, before she flipped her bangs from her face.</p><p>"Well, if this gets me out of watching out for Eva and her boyfriend, I can take you into my room and get you guys some food," she said. "But before I do – my name's Bethany. What are your names ?"</p><p>The four siblings looked at eachother, before they looked at the girl – Bethany.</p><p>"I'm Tim, this is Jane, and those two are the Barnabys," Tim introduced. "Thank you for taking us in, Bethany."</p><p>"And this is Arpeggio," Jane added.</p><p>Bethany led the siblings to a ladder that lead to a balcony and an open window, supposedly Bethany's bedroom.</p><p>"Don't touch anything, I'll go and get you guys some food," she said.</p><p>Bethany got up onto the ladder and both of the twins followed behind her.</p><p>Tim set Jane down on top of a dumpster, before she handed him the baby.</p><p>"I'll come back for you," he said.</p><p>"Okay," she agreed.</p><p>Tim carried the baby up the ladder, before he set Arpeggio on the bed, and Bethany started to talk to the twins about her family.</p><p>"So, you guys have a baby too?" she asked.</p><p>"It's Jane's baby," The first twin claimed.</p><p>"She was born today," the second one said.</p><p>"But you guys are kids, you can't have babies until you're sixteen," Bethany claimed. "My mom's having a baby, after she just adopted one, and my oldest sister, Ivanna, is having a baby – she's sixteen."</p><p>"I watched it happen," the second twin claimed.</p><p>"Was there blood?" Bethany asked.</p><p>"A lot of blood," the second twin shivered.</p><p>Bethany leaned forward and smirked at the twin as their noses touched.</p><p>"<strong><em>Tell me more</em></strong>."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. KOLD MIRAGE.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>𝚃𝚠𝚘 : </p><p>𝙺𝙾𝙻𝙳 𝙼𝙸𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙴 </p><p> </p><p>TIM FINALLY BROUGHT JANE into the room and set her on the bed, where she took Arpeggio into her arms and planted a kiss on Arpeggio’s head. </p><p>The bedroom door opened, and Bethany carried in plates full of food. She used her hips to shut the bedroom door, before she put the plates onto her bed. Each plate had something different on it and Bethany took it upon herself to point out what everything was. </p><p>“So, that’s brisket on that plate; my mom makes the best brisket here in town. That’s falafel, one of my personal favorites,” she explained. “That’s kugel, and it’s super sweet. That last thing is tahdig, which is just an excuse for my mom to serve burnt rice to the customers.” </p><p>“We’ve never had any of these things before,” the first twin said. </p><p>“We had meatloaf,” the second one added. “. . . Sometimes.” </p><p>“My mom’s a cook, and she’s real good at it,” Bethany claimed. “She moved here from Boston, and she wanted to ‘share the world of Jewish cuisine’ with everyone. Whatever that meant.” </p><p>“Jewish cuisine?” Jane asked. “Is that different than meatloaf?” </p><p>Jane laid Arpeggio down at her side and picked up the plate of kugel, before she took the fork and took a bite of the food. She let off a soft ‘Mm!’ when she tasted the cinnamon and sugar that was mixed in the pasta. </p><p>“Your baby needs to eat too, right?” Bethany asked. “I’m sure Zach, Ruth, and Noah could spare some formula, clothes, and diapers.” </p><p>The siblings looked at her in confusion.  </p><p>“My brothers and sister,” Bethany clarified. “Well, adoptive sister. We found her in a booth a few days back. She eats like a damn horse. Nevermind, let me go get you the things.” </p><p>The twins picked up the falafel and tahdig, before they began to eat as well. </p><p>Tim picked up the brisket and picked at it, before he put some of the meat into his mouth. He sighed in enjoyment as this had been the first meal he had in a while.  </p><p>The door opened again, before Bethany brought in a bag, along with some baby clothes, and a bottle that she shook in her hands. She gave the bottle to Jane, before she laid the clothes out on the bed. </p><p>“They’re all stuff that my brothers and sister are too big for anymore,” Bethany explained. “And here’s a diaper bag, it has diapers, formula, bottles, diaper rash cream, binkies . . . all the baby stuff you know. So, tell me, why are a bunch of kids carrying around a baby at night?” </p><p>“We’re going to visit our aunt in Hawai’i,” Tim explained. “And our parents can’t come with us.” </p><p>“They’re sleeping,” The second twin claimed. </p><p>“They fell down the stairs, then they fell asleep,” The first one verified. </p><p>“They never got back up?” Bethany asked. “Are you sure their necks didn’t break?” </p><p>“You can break your neck by doing that?” the second twin asked. </p><p>“Yeah,” Bethany claimed. “It kills you.” </p><p>She put her hand in her hoodie pocket, before she pulled out a small box with a spout attached. She put the spout to her mouth, before she sucked smoke from the spout and blew it out her mouth. </p><p>“Tim, did they -” the second twin asked. </p><p>“But Mommy, she fell by accident,” the first one insisted. “She couldn’t have!” </p><p>Tim shrugged before he continued to eat the brisket. </p><p>“You guys might need some wine coolers,” Bethany claimed. “Hang on, let me get some. Does anyone else want something to drink?” </p><p>“Waters?” Jane asked. </p><p>“Waters,” Bethany confirmed. “Got it.” </p><p>Jane put down the empty plate of kugel, before she pulled Arpeggio towards herself. She used the towel to wipe of the blood and fluids that still covered the baby, before she took one of the diapers from the bag, and looked at the front and back. Luckily, the front and back were labeled, so Jane knew which way to put the diaper on the baby, before she took the grey, star printed footie pajamas and put them onto the baby. </p><p>Bethany soon returned with the cans of wine coolers and bottles of water that she handed to everyone. She cracked open the can she had in her hands before she slurped from the opening. She opened the cans for the rest of them, but upon the smell, Jane rejected one. </p><p>She knew what that was. </p><p>“My sister just got in trouble for bringing her boyfriend home,” Bethany claimed. “I like her boyfriend. He’s hot. His name’s John, has blue eyes, brown hair – not really good at much.” </p><p>“Did you put him out?” the second twin asked. </p><p>“Put him out?” Bethany asked. </p><p>“You said he was on fire,” the second twin reasoned. “Did you put him out? Maybe that might help.” </p><p>Bethany then realized what he meant and started to laugh at his sheer ignorance of what she meant. She shook her head before she flicked him in the nose. </p><p>“Ow!” he exclaimed. </p><p>“You’re stupid,” she giggled. “I like that.” </p><p>“Hey, don’t call him that !!” Jane defended. </p><p>“I mean it in a good way,” Bethany insisted. “Do you guys want to get piercings?” </p><p>“Piercings?” the first twin asked. </p><p>“What’s that?” the second one inquired. </p><p>Bethany brushed her hair back to expose her ear to the twins, and then she pointed at her nose. </p><p>“These,” she claimed. “You want one?” </p><p>“Are kids supposed to have them?” the second twin asked. </p><p>“You worry too much, let me give you one,” Bethany said. “It’s not like your parents are even alive to notice, or give a shit.”  </p><p>“I’ll get one,” the first twin said. </p><p>“Ooo, lay back, let me go and get my stuff,” Bethany said. </p><p>The first twin laid back on the bed, before he looked to face Jane and Tim. Jane held Arpeggio in her arms as she drank the bottle full of whatever ‘formula’ was, and Tim held both the wine coolers that Bethany had given both him and Jane. He sipped from both wine coolers simultaneously as he watched his brothers. </p><p>Bethany then came back into the room with a set of sewing needles, a lighter, and a small little bar. She got back onto the bed and used the lighter to heat up one of the sewing needles, before she pinched the first twin’s eyebrow and poked the needle into his skin. </p><p>“Ouch!” the first twin exclaimed. </p><p>“Sh, stop your whining,” Bethany scolded. “It didn’t hurt that bad.” </p><p>“He’s bleeding!” the second twin exclaimed. </p><p>“Sh, don’t make him panic!” Bethany exclaimed. </p><p>“I’m bleeding?” the first twin asked. “I’m bleeding!” </p><p>“It’s not a lot of blood, you baby bitch!” Bethany hissed. “Stay still.” </p><p>She jammed the small bar into the wound in his eyebrow, before she sat him up, so he could see in her vanity mirror. She pointed to the small bar in his eyebrow and gave a smirk at her work. She was the one to do all except her lobe piercing, which she got as a gift from her bubbe and zayde for her fifth birthday. </p><p>“Bitchin’, right?” she asked. </p><p>The first twin wiped the blood away from his face, before he looked to see the two little balls on the top and bottom of his eyebrow. He managed to laugh quietly and smile at her. </p><p>“Yes,” he agreed. “Bitchin’.” </p><p>“So, I got a question,” Bethany asked. “Does this aunt of yours know you’re coming?” </p><p>Tim’s eyes widened at that question. She had a point. They never mailed her a letter to let her know that they were on their way, and apparently Hawai’i was very far. They didn’t even know how they were going to get out of town. They had money, of course, but where was one hundred twenty dollars and a little bit of loose change going to get them? </p><p>“I uh . . . I never mailed her a letter,” Tim commented. </p><p>“Mailed her a letter?” Bethany snickered. “Okay boomer. Did your parents live under a rock or something?” </p><p>Tim furrowed his eyebrows at her question before he looked to Jane, who had paused Arpeggio’s feeding since she stopped eating, and bounced the baby in her arms and pat the baby’s back, in an attempt to burp her. </p><p>“No, we lived in that house down the street,” Tim answered. </p><p>“Is it haunted?” Bethany asked. </p><p>“It’s not haunted,” Tim stated. “What are you trying to say?” </p><p>“That place is so old!” Bethany laughed. “Did you guys even have a phone there?” </p><p>“Phone?” Jane asked. “Well, we did, but it hasn’t worked since the nineteen – hundreds. Our great – great grandpa Stevenson used it to call relatives from far away.” </p><p>“Do they make phones anymore?” the second twin asked. </p><p>Bethany pinched his cheek and snickered at the second twin’s question. </p><p>“You guys are all so far behind on the times, it’s cute,” she giggled. “Yeah, they make phones still, but you can put them in your pocket and play games on them. Not like those rotary phones my bubbe has in the living room, next to her candy jar.” </p><p>“You can put phones in your pockets?” The first twin gasped. “Do you have a phone in one of your pockets ?” </p><p>Bethany dove her hand into her hoodie pocket before she handed it to Tim. She bit the inside of her cheek, before she looked away from him. Her face brightened into a hot red blush as she looked towards her window. </p><p>“You should . . .” she started. “You should call your aunt, to let her know you’re coming.” </p><p>“Call her?” Tim asked. “How do I work this thing ?” </p><p>He examined the phone, before he saw a thing at the bottom that said ‘Swipe Right To Unlock’. </p><p>“You use your finger to touch things,” she explained. “And you move your fingers to move things.” </p><p>Tim touched his finger to the lock bar, before he picked his finger up and moved it to the other side of the screen. He squinted as it didn’t move to unlock the phone, like Bethany said it would. </p><p>She took her phone back after she sighed at how clueless he was when it came to modern technology. </p><p>“Like this,” she said. </p><p>She showed Tim how to unlock her phone, before she took him to the phone’s dial, so he could call their aunt on the postcard. </p><p>“Then you just touch the numbers and press the green button when you’re ready to call her,” Bethany explained. </p><p>Tim took the postcard from his pocket, before he looked at the long number, which he assumed was the number he was supposed to put into the phone to dial. He pressed on the numbers, before he hit the green button and put the phone to his ear to hear the sound better. He gave a confused look as he heard a ringing on the other side of the line and pulled the phone from his face. </p><p>“Is it supposed to make that noise?” he asked. </p><p>“That means your aunt hasn’t picked up the phone yet,” Bethany explained. “You’ll hear another message that tells you if she is or isn’t available – it kind of sounds like a robot about to get killed.” </p><p>The second twin laughed at her joke, though he wasn’t quite sure why he found it funny. Maybe it was the morbidness altogether – murder, and what not. </p><p>She scooted closer to the second twin and scratched at his chin, which he also kind of giggled at the sensation. He had never felt this kind of affection from anyone, so it was . . . nice in a sense. </p><p>Jane leaned in, after she giggled at Apeggio, since her baby let off a burp, before she nuzzled into Jane’s neck and fell asleep. She attempted to listen in to the call, so she could also have an idea of what was going on. </p><p>Finally a man on the other side picked up. </p><p>“House of Madame Imogen Willoughby,” he answered. “Who is this?” </p><p>Tim gasped at the sound of the man on the other side, more in awe of how clear his voice was, and how he could hear someone from Hawai’i in the little rectangle. </p><p>“Uhm, uh -” Tim hesitated. </p><p>Jane took the phone from her brother, before she used her free hand to hold the phone to her face. </p><p>“We’re her niece and nephew,” Jane answered. </p><p>Tim took the phone from Jane after she managed to get whoever this guy was to pay attention to them. </p><p>“We’re her brother’s kids,” he explained. “Walter’s?” </p><p>“I’m sure that Madame Willoughby would love to hear from you kids,” the man explained. “She hasn’t heard from her brother in a very long time.” </p><p>“Can we speak to her right now?” Tim asked. </p><p>“I’ll see if she’s out of the shower,” the man said. </p><p>Tim waited for the man to hand off the phone to their aunt Imogen. He could hear muffle speech and laughter on the other side of the line, and he did his best to listen in to the conversation. He still couldn’t hear the exact words, but he could make out two different voices. </p><p>“Hello?” </p><p>It was a woman this time. Her voice was soft, and soothing, unlike the shrillness of their mother’s voice. He furrowed his eyebrows and cleared his throat. </p><p>“Uhm, uh, Miss Imogen – I'm Timothy Willoughby, Walter’s son -” Tim introduced. </p><p>“You’re my brother’s son?” she asked. “Well then, tell me, Timothy – does baldness run in the Willoughby family? Only a Willoughby would know the answer.” </p><p>“In the men, yes,” Tim answered. “But most Willoughbys can grow a mustache, e – even the women. It’s a sign of our greatness!” </p><p>“You are a Willoughby!” Imogen exclaimed. “I mean, I was just pulling your leg, but at least I know you’re my brother’s kids. C – Can you put your mom or dad on the phone, I – I’d love to talk to them.” </p><p>“Uhm, they’re . . . not here right now, but, we were planning on trying to come to Hawai’i for a visit,” He claimed. </p><p>“Do you need me to buy your plane tickets?” Imogen asked. “I mean, I’ve been sending your parents money for a while now – Oh, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that . . .” </p><p>“Money?” Tim asked. </p><p>“Yes, well, he always would spend money faster than he’d make it,” Imogen admitted. “I worried about my brother, and his wife. I feel like I should’ve sent more. I . . . I never knew he had kids, he never told me, but I understand if he didn’t want to tell me. We didn’t talk very much anymore.” </p><p>“He didn’t talk to a lot of people,” Tim reassured. </p><p>He felt a familiar heat rise in him. His father never talked to anyone outside their mother, he barely even knew that Jane and the Barnabys existed. Maybe if their father actually cared, Jane could’ve been taken to the hospital when she first started getting sick, and they could’ve terminated the pregnancy right then and there. Jane would’ve never had to go through nine months of pregnancy, and she wouldn’t have had to cut herself open on the floor of the library with a Willoughby artifact. She wouldn’t be in this predicament. As distant and cold as he was from Jane outwardly, inwardly, he cared so fucking deeply for her, but he knew . . . he knew his feelings towards her were wrong. He loved her in more than a million ways, and it hurt him to know that she went through pain that he directly caused. </p><p>“It wasn’t just you, Miss Imogen,” he finished. </p><p>“Please, Timothy, it’s Aunt Imogen to you,” she corrected. </p><p>He smiled at the sound of her voice. </p><p>“Tim,” he corrected. </p><p>“Okay, Tim,” she chuckled. “Do you need me to come and get you from New York? I could always come and get you three.” </p><p>“N - No!” Tim exclaimed. “W - We wouldn’t want to be a bother, besides, there’s myself, my sister, twin brothers, and a baby.” </p><p>“Wow, they must’ve had their hands full !” Imogen exclaimed. “I’m assuming you’re driving to the Los Angeles airport, right?” </p><p>“Y - Yeah,” Tim lied. “W - We’ll let you know when we get there. We might need you to buy our plane tickets.” </p><p>“Of course, I’ll buy the tickets,” Imogen reassured. “So, we need tickets for you, your parents, sisters, and twin brothers?” </p><p>“Y - Yeah,” he lied. </p><p>“I hope to see you soon, Tim,” Imogen said. “I have to talk to my agent about some of the movies I have to do, but if I can’t pick your family up from the airport, Lanakila will be there. He’ll have a sign for you three.” </p><p>“Lanakila?” Tim asked. </p><p>“The man you were just talking to,” Imogen laughed. “My boyfriend.” </p><p>“Oh, I thought he was your butler,” Tim laughed. </p><p>“Oh no, I don’t have a butler, who do you think I am?” she laughed. “Anyways, stay safe on your drive, Tim. Let your parents know that I’m excited to see you guys.” </p><p>“I will,” he said. </p><p>“Bye kiddo,” she dismissed. </p><p>She hung up the phone and he gave the phone back to Bethany. He smiled at the kid and nodded. </p><p>“Thank you,” he said. </p><p>“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Sabrina huffed. “It’s whatever.” </p><p>“So what did she say ?” Jane asked.  </p><p>“We need to go to the Los Angeles airport,” Tim said. “She said that we’re going to get on a plane there, and then fly to Hawai’i.” </p><p>That was the basics of what was going to happen. The problem was, Tim didn’t know where Los Angeles was, or how far it was from where they were. He didn’t know where they were. Nobody ever told him, he had only seen old maps from when America was first settled. He was clueless of where to go next. </p><p>“All the way to Los Angeles?” Bethany asked. “That’s really far away. It’s in California and that’s states away. It will take you almost a week to get there by car.” </p><p>Tim felt himself sweat because they didn’t have a car either. They’d have to make it on foot, unless they just so happened to stumble upon a car, even then, it wasn’t like Tim knew how to drive. He started to drink one of the wine coolers in his hand, as his mouth became dry at the nervousness that settled in his body.  </p><p>“Whoa, holy shit!” Bethany exclaimed. “Chug! Chug! Chug!” </p><p>Tim stopped drinking before he looked at her in confusion. He started to feel a bit woozy, but . . . he didn’t feel as nervous. That was a good thing. He couldn’t sleep when he was nervous and he knew he needed to sleep that night, because he had to wake up tomorrow and figure out how they were going to get from wherever they were to Los Angeles in California. </p><p>“Why’d you stop?” Bethany asked. “You were about to finish that thing in one fell swoop!” </p><p>“Is that a good thing?” Tim asked. </p><p>“Yes, that’s a good thing, it’s wine,” Bethany said. “The faster you can drink alcohol, the cooler you are. Eva’s boyfriend told me that.” </p><p>Tim put the can to his mouth again and drank the rest of the strawberry – watermelon mixed liquor before he set the can on the nightstand and did the same thing with the other. </p><p>“Tim, I don’t think you should be drinking all of that as fast as you are,” Jane warned. “You might need to use the bathroom later, and I don’t think Bethany wants us to walk around her house.” </p><p>“Yeah, if anything, my bubbe could catch you guys,” she said. “She’s always watching her weird soap operas on the T.V in the living room.” </p><p>“Soap opera?” The second twin inquired. </p><p>“It’s a T.V show about old ladies and old men, and they bitch and cry about everything,” Bethany explained. “It’s so boring, but my dad says to leave the T.V alone while bubbe is watching her shows, even if she’s asleep.” </p><p>“T.V?” The first twin asked. </p><p>“Oh god, you guys really did live under a rock before all of this,” she groaned. “Did your parents never teach you anything?” </p><p>“Our parents didn’t really talk to us, unless it was to yell at us,” Jane sighed. “They liked eachother way more than they liked any of us.” </p><p>“I wouldn’t be surprised if my parents got a divorce,” Bethany claimed. “They fight all the time. Weird thing is that they screw like rabbits. Ivanna thinks they stay together because of the sex.” </p><p>“What’s that?” Jane asked. </p><p>“A rabbit?” Bethany asked. </p><p>“No,” Jane answered. “Sex.” </p><p>“Okay, I think I’ll put an end to that conversation there,” Tim commented. “You’ll learn about that some other time, and I’d rather not have you learn from an eight – year – old who probably doesn’t know the first thing of what they’re talking about.” </p><p>He hiccupped at the end, before he felt himself get light – headed for a moment. Maybe he shouldn’t of drank those wine coolers so fast. He started to feel the same way that one night that he . . . the night Arpeggio was . . . you know ? </p><p>“Okay,” Jane sighed. “Fine.” </p><p>“Obviously you know,” Bethany pointed out. “You had a baby, and babies come from it.” </p><p>“Oh, shut up,” Tim said. “Stop talking about that. Anyways, we should sleep, so we can leave in the morning, you know?” </p><p>“Good point,” Jane agreed. “We had a long day, and tomorrow might be even longer.” </p><p>“Let me get you guys some blankets and you guys can sleep on my floor,” Bethany said. “I’ll be right back.” </p><p>She left the room once again to get blankets and pillows for the Willoughby siblings, before they all settled on the cramped floor of the bedroom. </p><p>Both of the Barnabys laid at the foot of Bethany’s queen bed, while Tim, Jane, and Arpeggio laid on the ground next to the window. Jane allowed for Arpeggio to lay on her chest, before Jane started to hum to Arpeggio a song she always hummed to herself. It clicked in her head that Arpeggio had more than likely heard the song too, since she was in Jane’s belly for a good few months, which meant she had heard a lot of things. </p><p>Tim turned to face Jane, and looked at the baby on her chest. He shuttered quietly as he thought about how that baby was his too. He hated that thought, because he wasn’t ready to be a father. He was twelve for Christ’s sake. He didn’t understand how Jane was comfortable with being a mom at ten years old. She must’ve had something he didn’t. </p><p>“Why d’you always hum that?” he asked. </p><p>The feeling of wooziness settled on him as his body processed some of the alcohol he drank. He put one arm around Jane’s waist and scooted closer to her. He squeezed her hip and put his head atop hers. </p><p>“It’s just . . .” she started. “It’s the song from my heart.” </p><p>“Mm.” he muttered in acknowledgement. </p><p>The bedroom door opened and shut again, before the lock of the door clicked. Bethany came back with four pillows and five blankets. She handed two of the pillows and blankets down to the twins, before she handed the other pillows and blankets to Jane and Tim. </p><p>Jane wrapped the blankets around the three of them, before she placed Arpeggio between the both of them. She looked down at the baby and smiled, before she looked up at Tim, who had brushed hair from her face. </p><p>“Tim?” </p><p>“Y’know, I love you, right?” </p><p>She furrowed her eyebrows and truly considered the question. Did she know that he did? He never seemed to show it. The last time he did was about nine months ago, but ever since then, he hadn’t really paid much mind to her unless it was to tell her to stop talking, singing, humming, making noise. </p><p>“It doesn’t seem like you do,” she said. </p><p>“C’mere,” he sighed. </p><p>Their noses touched and he nuzzled them together, before he leaned in a little further. </p><p>“I wish I could show you that I love you . . .” he whispered. “I really do.” </p><p>“Then why don’t you?” she asked. </p><p>“I can’t.” </p><p>“What do you mean ‘you can’t’?” </p><p>“I mean, I can’t. It’s not okay, you know?” </p><p>“It is okay, Tim,” she soothed. “It’s just me.” </p><p>She reached up and touched his cheek. She gave him a smile and rubbed her thumb along his cheek. </p><p>“It’s just me,” she repeated. </p><p>He leaned into her touch, savored it. He leaned over Arpeggio and planted his lips against Jane’s. </p><p>Jane shut her eyes and squeaked as he shifted to lay on top of her. She held her hands against his face as they kissed and she shivered as his soft kisses trailed down her neck, to her chest, before he rested his face on her chest and nuzzled. </p><p>“I love you . . .” he whispered. </p><p>She put her hands on his head and ran her fingers through his hair, before she placed a soft kiss on his head too. </p><p>“I love you too,” she responded. </p><p>She looked out at the stars and back at both her sleeping brother and baby, before she laid back and looked up at the ceiling. They would have to head out of Bethany’s the next morning, before they overstayed their welcome. Besides, their aunt from very far away was expecting them to visit her in Hawai’i. </p><p>Jane shut her eyes and held on tight to Tim. This is the nicest that he had been to her in a while, and she wanted to soak up every ounce of attention she had gotten in that moment. It was nice, after the day they all had, especially Jane. It wasn’t even a day ago that she had Arpeggio, and she was laying on the floor of House Willoughby in a puddle of her own blood. </p><p>Speaking of blood, she knew they would all need a change of clothes sometime soon, because she has a feeling people would have questions if she was walking around in a blood – soaked dress, and they didn’t have any adults around. </p><p>That was a problem for tomorrow’s Willoughby siblings. </p>
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